Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle—
Parallel translations
- WEB By David. Blessed be Yahweh, my rock, who teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to battle:
- KJV Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:
- BSB Of David. Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.
- NASB Blessed be the Lord, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle;
- NLT Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David blesses Yahweh as his rock who trains his hands for war. It gives God the credit for every ability and victory in battle.
Overview
David praises God as the unshakable rock and the true source of his skill and strength for conflict. He recognizes that even his warrior capability is a gift from God. The deeper warfare of God's people is spiritual, fought with God's strength and weapons in Christ (Ephesians 6:10-12).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 18:34He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
- Ps 18:2Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
- 2 Sam 22:35He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of brass.
- Ps 44:3–4For they didn’t get the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you were favorable to them.
- Eph 6:10–11Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.
- 2 Cor 10:4for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds,
- Isa 45:24They will say of me, ‘There is righteousness and strength only in Yahweh.’” Even to him shall men come; and all those who raged against him shall be disappointed.
- Deut 32:30–31How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and Yahweh had delivered them up?
- Ps 60:12Through God we shall do valiantly, for it is he who will tread down our adversaries.
- Ps 18:31For who is God, except Yahweh? Who is a rock, besides our God,
- Ps 95:1Oh come, let’s sing to Yahweh. Let’s shout aloud to the rock of our salvation!
- Ps 71:3Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
- Isa 26:4Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 144:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.